Concealed Secrets
by Olivia0102
Summary: Lucy Camden and Isabelle Taylor have been best friends for two months, since freshman year started. But when Isabelle reveals to Lucy that her father beats her, will Lucy be able to remain true to her friend and keep her secret? Please R&R!
1. Is Izzy OK, God?

**Hey everybody! I am finally back, after having been sick for so long! Please R&R! I know it seems run-of-the-mill story, but I am hoping I can transform the ordinary. Thanks!**

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"Why, you want to tell the whole world about me?!" Mark Taylor grabbed his daughter Isabelle, gripping her arms tight, pushing her, forcing her to fall over the end table.

Isabelle Taylor cried out, her eye throbbing and her arms swell with bruising. She had just asked him if she could sleepover Friday night at her friends, Lucy Camden. He had gotten upset that she was asking at last minute, accusing her of only caring about herself.

Mr. Taylor's eyes filled with disbelief, regret, and tears. "Oh god, Isabelle, I am so sorry! You know that you shouldn't bother me after I've had a hard day like this!" He exclaimed, bending down to help her up. She accepted his hand half-heartedly, pulling herself to her feet and covering her eye with her hand.

"Alright, you can go. But promise me your not going to say anything, Izzy?" He asked, using the pet name he gave her.

Isabelle nodded her head quickly, dashing up the stairs as tears filled her eyes. How was she going to explain this?

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**Next Afternoon, Friday.**

Lucy Camden rushed down the hallway, desperate to make it to Biology class before the final bell. It was finally Friday, and the last thing she needed was to be tardy and get detention right before tonight, the most exciting night she has had since her freshman year started two months ago. Her best friend, Isabelle, was coming to spend the night so they could call boys together, and the last thing she needed was her parents to change their minds because she got detention. Sprinting into class just as the bell rang, she scurried to her seat on the last row, right beside Isabelle. Plopping down, she let out a sigh of relief.

"That was a close one!" She exclaimed, smiling over at Isabelle. Her eyes filled with worry when she saw Isabelle's eye, her mouth dropping with disbelief.

"What happened?!" She mouthed, her eyes filled with concern. It was even worse than the bruise she saw last week.

Isabelle shrugged. "It's no big deal." She whispered, grinning. "I was following Mark Krakow home and I fell off my bike. It was TOTALLY embarrassing!" She exclaimed, giggling.

Lucy smiled half-heartedly, worried. Isabelle always seemed to get bruised a lot. Was everything really okay?

"Alright class, time to start the assignment! Page 507-511, questions on page 512. You have 30 minutes. Begin!" Mrs. Ferguson called out, eyeing Isabelle and Lucy.

Isabelle grinned over at Lucy, opening her book. Lucy smiled back half-heartedly, biting her lip.

I'll ask her about it tonight, she thought to herself.

She looked up at the ceiling, silently praying.

_Dear Lord, Please let everything be OK._

**_Please R&R!_**


	2. Perhaps she DID fall

**Hey everybody! Thanks for the reviews! If anybody has any ideas on how the story should progress, please let me know. Olivia**

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Lucy sat in the backseat of her parents' station wagon with her arms crossed over her chest, biting her lip softly. Her older sister, Mary, who was in 10th grade, and the oldest child Matt, who was in 12th grade, were in the front seat, arguing about the recent ball game Mary had played in, her first since a knee operation she had the previous summer. They were on their way to pick up Simon, the fourth child out of the five Camden children. 

"Mary, what do you mean?! She was wide open the WHOLE time!" Matt exclaimed, both hands on the wheel as he turned his head to look at Mary in disbelief.

"Luce, tell him, would you?! It was my first game back, no WAY was I going to let her ruin the play!" Mary exclaimed, her hands flailing wildly.

Lucy snapped to attention. "Oh, um, yea, you're right." She exclaimed, looking down at her hands.

Matt looked into his mirror, giving her a look. "What's with you? You've been weird ever since we left school today." He exclaimed, frowning.

Lucy looked at him in the mirror, her eyes wide. "N-No, I haven't!" She insisted, glancing sideways at the passing cars.

Mary and Matt exchanged looks, silencing their argument. Matt pulled up to the school, looking at the building.

"Mary, I think you ought to go inside and get Simon." said Matt, stealing a glance at Lucy before looking back to Mary.

Mary nodded knowingly, undoing her seatbelt and unlatching the car handle to open the car door, getting out and slamming the door.

Matt turned to look back at Lucy. "Are you sure you're okay, Luce? Nothing happened today at school, with a guy or anything, did it?" He asked, a worried look of protective anger in his eyes.

Lucy shook her head, barely paying attention. "No, nothing happened, Matt! I'm just really stressed out over a Biology test. Now can we PLEASE get Ruthie and go home?!" She asked, seeing Mary and Simon head towards the car.

Matt didn't respond, turning around. "Fine, but you're not the first person to be stressed out about grades, ya know. So stop taking it out on everyone else and deal. You're in high school now." He snapped, his bad mood growing worse.

Simon climbed into the backseat beside Lucy, throwing his backpack in between them, exhaling dramatically.

"Ya know, this whole middle school thing isn't exactly a walk in the park. I have 20 problems in Math and I have to read 3 chapter in English, on top of 4 science worksheets! I am one busy guy!" He exclaimed, his eyes wide as he shook his head.

Lucy, Matt, and Mary all exchanged glances, laughing loudly as they pulled out of the middle school parking lot.

Simon frowned. "Hey, I know I'm a funny guy, but chill out. This is no joke!" He exclaimed, pulling out his English book.

Lucy turned her head to the window, smiling as she shook her head. If only her life could be that easy, if only she weren't so worried about Isabelle. Isabelle had been on her mind since 4th period Biology, and she couldn't decide whether or not to confront her about it. Thinking back to the last two months and all the times Isabelle had come to school bruised up, Lucy tried to comfort herself. Perhaps she really _did_fall on her bike, or maybe she actually _had_ gotten bruised up at her kickboxing classes, and she probably _could_ have gotten burned from cooking pizza. But after her health class had talked about child abuse the week before, Lucy started paying closer attention.

And she didn't like what she found.

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**MEANWHILE, AT ISABELLE'S HOUSE**

Isabelle descended off the bus, pulling out her keys as she neared her home. Reaching her front door, she slid the key into the lock, turning it with ease.

Carefully opening the door, she shut it quietly out of habit, before remembering her father wasn't home. Throwing her book bag on the floor, she climbed the stairs two at a time to grab her sleepover belongings that she had packed the night before. She turned on the fan in her room, rolling up her long sleeves, revealing dark blue, purple, and yellow marks on her arms. She was sweating from wearing long sleeves all day, especially since it was the middle of October in California, and decided to let herself cool off for awhile while she applied concealer to her arms. She blotted it on carefully, humming to herself.

After finishing up with her makeup, she looked in the mirror at her eyes, grimacing. It hurt too much to apply any concealer on it, and she was worried about what the Camdens would say. After all, her teachers had been hard enough to persuade, but a minister?! Isabelle shook her head, glad to be getting out for the night.

She hurried down the stairs with her belongings in hand, checking the clock. Lucy had said to be at her house around 3:30, when they usually got home from school. She pulled down the sleeves her turtleneck, sighing. Sweating was a small price to pay compared to what would happen if anybody ever found out.

She headed towards the door. It was only a few blocks away, and the excitement building in her was too much to bear. She shut the door behind her, a smile shining on her face.


	3. Mom, Isabelle is Fine! I think

**Hey everyone! I know the chapters I do are small, but that's because I release two chapters every day, instead of only one long one every two days. I prefer it that way, and I think my readers do too :-)**

**Keep R&R'ing!**

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"Isabelle's here!!" screamed Lucy. They had been home for less than five minutes and already she saw Isabelle coming up the driveway. She flung open the front door, heading outside. 

"Isabelle, hey!" exclaimed Lucy, meeting her friend halfway up the driveway. She took her friends overnight bag from her hand, leading her to the front door.

"Hey, Luce! I'm not too early am I? I just hurried home to grab my stuff and came over. I can't WAIT to have fun!" She exclaimed, her face shining, despite the darkened purple and black eye she dawned on her face.

Lucy grinned, trying not to stare at her friends eye. "Of course not, Izzy! You're right on time! I can't _wait _to have fun either!" She exclaimed, shutting the door as both of them walked in.

Isabelle's face turned pale, remembering what happened the night before with her father, and how he had called her Izzy. "Yea, it's gonna be fun!" She exclaimed, smiling softly.

Lucy's eyebrows furrowed. "You okay, Belle?" She asked, putting an arm around her friend.

Isabelle grimaced, shrugging Lucy's arm off her. "Yea, I'm just nervous about seeing your _totally_ hot brother!" She exclaimed, grinning evilly.

Lucy began to laugh, shrugging off her thoughts. "Yea, I don't think so. He is _totally_ not _hot_!" She exclaimed, leading Isabelle into the kitchen, where all her family was gathered, minus her father, Reverend Camden, who was still at work.

"Guys, I want all of you to meet Isabelle!" She exclaimed, placing Isabelle's night bag onto the floor.

Annie Camden, Lucy's mother, looked at Isabelle with concern as her eyes landed on her black eye, setting down the tray of cookies she had just taken out of the oven.

"Hello, Isabelle, My name is Annie, I'm Lucy's mom." She exclaimed, staring at the young girls face as she shook her hand,

Matt and Mary exchanged looks, smiling half-heartedly as Lucy introduced them.

"That's Matt, Mary, Simon, and Ruthie." Lucy exclaimed as she pointed them out.

"Wow, what happened to your eye?!" asked Simon, frowning as he stared at her face.

"Yea, it looks bad!" exclaimed Ruthie, the youngest Camden.

"Simon, Ruthie!" said Mrs. Camden, giving them a look. Lucy looked at her mom desperately, trying to register a message to make them be quiet.

"Go up to your rooms and read your English chapters. You can do the rest of it this weekend. If you can't keep up with all of the work, I am going to tell your teacher to take you out of your AIG class, okay?" Annie exclaimed, raising her eyebrows at her son.

Simon sighed, picking up his belongings. "Ya know, mom, if I were a teacher and I decided to enroll me in an Academically and Intellectually Gifted, I would give him LESS homework, ya know?" said Simon, shaking his head as he went up the stairs. Ruthie followed at his heels, dragging her book bag at her feet. "They think YOUR gifted?" She asked, their voices fading as they walked up the stairs.

"Hey Isabelle, it's nice to have you this weekend." smiled Matt sincerely, a look of concern in his eye. This must have been why Lucy has been acting so cryptic, he thought to himself.

"So, mom, Isabelle and I are going to go upstairs and drop off her stuff, and use the phone. Is that okay with you?" She asked, her eyes wide, trying to send signals to her mother, letting her know not to disturb them.

Annie smiled playfully. "Going to be on the phone all night, are we?" She asked, frowning while she smiled.

Isabelle, who had been quiet, felt a rush of panic go through her as she remembered what happened last weekend with her father, the weekend she stayed on the phone all night talking to Lucy.

"M-Mrs. Camden, I-If you're w-waiting f-for a c-call, w-we'll stay o-off the phone." She said in a low voice, a look of fear crossing her eyes.

Matt and Mary furrowed their brows, concerned. Lucy turned to Isabelle in surprise. She had never seen her friend look so scared before.

"Oh, no honey! I just want to make sure your parents could call if they needed to, that's all!" She exclaimed, laying a hand on the girls shoulder gently. Isabelle grimaced slightly, a sad look crossing her eyes.

"Thanks Mrs. Camden, but I'm sure they won't call." She turned to Lucy. "Is it okay if I run my stuff up to your room?" She asked, smiling brightly.

Lucy smiled half-heartedly, nodding slowly. Watching the stairs, she glared at her mother the minute she saw her friends face disappear.

"Mom, I _told_ you Isabelle lives with her dad! Her mom left a couple of years ago, remember!" LUcy asked, her eyes wide.

"Oh, Luce. I am so sorry, I completely forgot. I was more worried about her eye! What in the world happened?!" Annie asked, her eyes wide with concern.

"Yea, Luce. I mean, if somebody is hurting her-." Matt said, cutoff early by Lucy.

"Will you _be quiet_?! For your information, she fell off her bike! I was actually going to ask you if you could fix it for her, but since you think something is so wrong, never mind!" Lucy spoke quietly but angrily.

"And your sure about this?" Mary and Annie said at the same time.

Lucy rolled her eyes, nodding. "I was _there_, hello!" She lied, frowning furiously.

"Oh Lucy, I am so sorry! I never would of said anything like that if I had known!" said Annie, a look of regret in her eye.

Matt looked down, sighing softly.

"It's okay mom. Now can we _please_ treat my guest with _respect_!?" She asked, turning to run up the stairs.

Annie looked from Matt to Mary. "Well, I feel like a fool." She admitted, looking sorry.

Matt looked at Mary, then turned to his mom. "Ya know, mom. I don't think Lucy is telling the truth." said Matt.

Annie frowned, glaring at both of them. "And why would you say that?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Mary held up her palm in order to stop an argument. "Mom, trust me. Something weird is definitely going on. I see Isabelle around school, and that is NOT the first time I've seen her with marks on her." She exclaimed, her eyebrows knit together, looking scared.

"And my buddy, Jake, lives next door to Isabelle. He says her old man is a piece of work." Matt exclaimed, sitting on a stool that sat behind the counter.

Annie crossed her arms, glaring at her two oldest children.

"Mary, weren't you just telling me last week that you saw Isabelle on the soccer field, and how amazing you thought she was?" Annie asked her eldest daughter.

"Yes, but-." Mary stuttered, interrupted by Annie.

"But nothing!" Said Mrs. Camden, furious. "Lucy was there, and she saw Isabelle fall off her bike. And she probably got all of those marks that you saw, Mary, playing soccer." She then rounded on Matt.

"And you, young man. You don't know her 'old man'!" She exclaimed, putting air quotes around 'old man'. "So I suggest you two lighten up on the girl, okay? You heard Lucy. Isabelle is fine." She said, smiling brightly. "Isabelle is fine."

_I hope so. I really do,_ Lucy thought to herself. She had been listening at the top of the banister for the past ten minutes.

_That's it. I'm talking to Isabelle tonight,_ Lucy said to herself, walking back towards her bedroom, where Isabelle had gone after using the restroom.

Annie Camden looked up at the ceiling, sighing as her two oldest children went outside to play basketball.

_Dear Lord, let the little girl be okay. Please._

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**_Thanks for all the reviews! I really, REALLY appreciate it Please recommend this story to others, and let me know if there are any you want me to R&R. Thanks :-)_**


	4. Promise Me!

**Hey everybody! Sorry it took so long for the update! I am SO thankful for the reviews. Please get others to review also! Thanks so much!**

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"So, um Isabelle. How is….everything?" asked Lucy, facing Isabelle. They were reclining against either end of Lucy's bed, looking at fashion magazines. Isabelle was leaning back on the headboard, and Lucy was lying against the end board. It was six thirty that same night and they were waiting for Mrs. Camden to call them down for dinner.

It was now time for the talk that Lucy had been dreading all night. She peered down at Isabelle's clothes, the same she had worn to school that day.

"Everything is fine, Luce. Everything is good." said Isabelle, smiling brightly. A sinking feeling came into her gut as Lucy asked, as if she knew something was about to happen.

"Isabelle are you sure? You seem…distant lately." Lucy said softly, struggling to find the right word to use. She looked up, waiting to see Isabelle pick her head up also.

Isabelle could feel the tears start to burn the corners of her eyes and bit her lip harshly to stop herself from crying.

"I guess I'm just worried about my grades, that's all." exclaimed Isabelle, looking up at Lucy, her bright green eyes wide with innocence.

Lucy smiled back half-heartedly, looking back down at her magazine. She scanned the page she was on desperately, as if the model staring back at her would appear and make Isabelle tell her the truth.

Scanning her bedroom, her eyes landed on Mary's basketball, which had been thrown onto the floor after a sweating Mary and Matt had come up almost a half-hour ago from playing. Seeing the basketball inspired her.

Clearing her throat, she flipped a page, casually asking. "So, Isabelle. How is soccer season going?" asked Lucy, trying her best to sound sincerely interested.

Isabelle smiled warmly this time, beginning to calm down. "It's going great! I think the coach is going to nominate me for all-stars!" exclaimed Isabelle, flexing her biceps.

Lucy laughed, poking Isabelle with her foot. "He better nominate you, for all the bruises you get from playing on his team!" she exclaimed, smiling playfully.

Isabelle's smile faded and she looked down into her magazine "Yea, he should." She said quietly, looking at her magazine.

Lucy reached up and scratched the back of her neck, feeling an awkward pause between the two of them. Placing down her magazine, she looked up at Isabelle.

"Hey Iz, let's talk, k?" she asked. She took in a deep, silent, cleansing breath, preparing herself for the worst.

Isabelle slowly placed down her magazine, looking up at Lucy. She felt her heart sink. _She knows. She knows and she is about to ask, _she said to herself, feeling her heat pound.

"Mkay!" replied Isabelle, trying to sound cheery.

Lucy looked at her hands, not knowing where to begin. Desperate for anything to talk about, she thought of a newscast she heard that morning.

"I was listening to the news this morning, and there was a newscast about stocks or something like that. Didn't you say your dad was in stocks?" She asked, as if it were shear coincidence.

Isabelle looked down at her hands, nodding slowly. "What did they say about the stocks?" asked Isabelle, looking back at Lucy.

Lucy shrugged. "I'm not sure, just thought of your dad." she said, smiling.

Isabelle looked back down at her hands. "Everyone thinks that because he makes so much money, he's stress-free and we're living the life. But being a stockbroker makes him tense. No matter how much money he makes, he isn't stress free." She exclaimed, looking back up at Lucy.

Lucy nodded slowly, trying to understand. "How stressed does he get?" she asked, biting her lip.

Isabelle shrugged, looking around. "He just gets angry easily, ya know?" Isabelle asked, looking at Lucy and biting her lip softly.

Lucy looked straight at Isabelle, breathing in deeply. "Angry enough to….hurt you?" She asked, forcing herself to stare into Isabelle's eyes.

Isabelle felt her stomach drop, tears filling her eyes. "W-What?" she asked, tears dripping down her cheeks.

As she hugged her knees to her chest, resting her face on them

Lucy felt her heart sink, but didn't dare to drop the subject. "Iz, I've seen you play soccer. You're a natural, and you never get hurt. And you don't even ride a bike anymore. How could you have been following that guy?" She pressed, speaking softly.

Isabelle picked her head up, tears streaming down her face. "No matter what I do it's never good enough for him." whispered Isabelle, her voice breaking as the tears came harder.

Lucy stood up and walked over to her friend, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Isabelle, he is the one who has been hurting you, isn't he." asked Lucy, feeling her own eyes well with tears.

Isabelle nodded, rolling up her sleeves. Wiping off the concealer, she showed Lucy the marks.

Lucy's mouth dropped in shock as she hugged her friend tighter. "You don't deserve that Isabelle. You deserve better. He can't do that to you!" she exclaimed.

Isabelle looked up at Lucy, her face beginning to dry as the tears stopped. "Lucy, promise you won't ever tell a soul? Promise?" She asked, her face desperate.

Lucy nodded slowly. "I promise." She whispered. She looked up at the ceiling.

_Dear God, What do I do?!_


	5. Promise, Matt?

**Hey everybody! Sorry I took so long to update! I am trying to decide which way I want the story to go. How would you guys like a certain Camden (Matt) to fall in love with Isabelle? I dunno yet :-) Review!**

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"Something smells terrific!" exclaimed Reverend Eric Camden as he walked through the side door. His wife, Annie, was standing at the counter, peeling potatoes.

"Would it be the food you smell or your lovely wife?" Mrs. Camden asked, smiling widely as she turned to look at her husband, placing down the peeler.

"Both." Eric replied, kissing her softly. Annie, giggled, pulling away. "Well, since you're home in time for dinner, you can help bring in the plates and utensils!" She exclaimed happily, smiling sarcastically.

"Lucky me!" he murmured playfully, winking at her as he picked up the stack of plates and silverware.

"Wait a minute!" said Annie, pulling another plate out of the cupboard. "Lucy's friend, Isabelle, is here." She handed her husband the second plate, pulling a fork and a knife out of the silverware drawer and placing it on top of the plate.

Eric set the whole stack down. "Isabelle. As in Isabelle Taylor? Lucy's best friend?" asked Eric, frowning, as if he couldn't remember who Annie was talking about.

Annie rolled her eyes playfully, grinning. "Oh, Eric! You know who I am talking about!" said Annie, her smile fading a bit.

Eric frowned, coming closer to his wife. "Is everything okay?" he asked, his eyebrows knit together in concern.

Annie sighed. "That's just it, Eric. I don't know if everything is okay." She replied, picking up the peeler.

Eric moved closer to his wife, frowning. "Why, what's going on? Does it have something to do with the children?" he whispered, looking around for his children, in case they were eavesdropping.

Annie drug the bowl of potatoes and the trash can over to the opposite end of the counter, sitting on one of the stools. Following her, Eric gently pulled the trashcan away from her, placing it beside them.

"Annie, please tell me!" exclaimed Eric, picking up the peeler and peeling the potato she was holding. Looking up at the clock then down at the potato, he sighed.

Annie rolled her eyes. "The potatoes are for a potluck supper tomorrow, okay? Dinner is keeping warm in the oven." she exclaimed, leaning against the counter.

Eric nodded in reply, staring at her intently.

Annie sighed, giving in. She leaned forward, looking around the kitchen before whispering "It's Isabelle, Eric. I think something is really wrong, but I'm trying not to be so….pessimistic!" she exclaimed, struggling to find the right word, her expression one of full concern.

Eric felt his heart drop, his face masked with concern when he saw his wife's expression. "Annie, why do you think something is wrong? And what exactly do you mean by wrong?" he whispered, glancing around to check for kids.

Annie looked down at her hands, sighing greatly. When she lifted her head, her eyes were filled with tears. "She has a black eye, Eric. And she just acts..afraid! Matt's friend said something about her dad being a bit…off, but I told them not to believe what they hear. But Eric, I have a horrible feeling about this. Really horrible.", exclaimed Annie, her tears falling.

Eric felt his own eyes fill with tears as he gathered his wife in his arms, kissing the top of her head gently. "We'll make it okay for her, Annie. We'll make it better. I'll find out what I can." said Eric gently, feeling his heart melt for Isabelle, yet fill with anger for her father.

A gray flash caught his eye and he turned his head to see Matt standing there, looking scared and concerned.

Eric sighed gently, somewhat relieved that it was Matt and not one of the others. "Did you hear everything?" he asked as Annie pulled away, wiping her face.

Matt nodded, walking over to his mother and putting his hand on her shoulder. "Dad, I know something is going on with Isabelle. I mean, it kills me to think about somebody doing that to the poor girl. Especially Lucy's best friend!" exclaimed Matt, anger and tears flashing in his eyes.

Eric stood, patting his son on the back. "Me too, son. But promise me that you won't do anything you might regret. Promise me?" he asked, his eyes wide.

Matt looked his father in the eyes, nodding gently. "I promise." he whispered, turning to go upstairs.

He took the stairs two at a time, wiping away his tears.

"I promise I'll kill whoever hurts her." he whispered under his breath, walking into his bedroom and shutting the door quietly.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey everyone! I have'nt posted a new chapter in AWHILE, and I know I am not supposed to do whole chapters on author notes, but here it goes. I am not sure where this chapter should go and I REALLY need some ideas. For instance..How often should I update? How would you like to see the story grow? Chapter Ideas.

PLEASE let me know.

CIao! Olivia


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